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Aerospace Topic Type Video

Famed Physicist Freeman Dyson Predicts the Future

Dyson expounds on what might happen in the next 50 years in biotech, neuroscience, climate change, space travel, and more

When we started making a list of visionaries to interview for our special issue commemorating IEEE Spectrum’s 50th anniversary, Freeman Dyson was one of the first names to come up.

The celebrated physicist’s career got off to a quick start in the late 1940s, with a critical contribution to the then-nascent field of quantum electrodynamics. Since then it’s ranged far and wide, touching on subjects as varied as solid-state physics, biology, and climate change.

But for many, Dyson is known for his most speculative ideas. He is the man for whom the Dyson sphere is named—a hypothetical structure, built by an alien civilization, that could capture most or all the energy emitted by a star (and leave a telltale excess of infrared light that could be picked up by our telescopes). Dyson was also one of the key players on Project Orion, which ran from 1958 to 1963 and which conceived of a spacecraft, powered by a series of controlled nuclear explosions, that could have potentially carried humans to Saturn by 1970.

We wanted to see what this bold and imaginative thinker might have to say about humanity’s next 50 years. So we asked him.

Check out the Interactive Version of Freeman Dyson Predicts the Future, which allows you to jump to different sections by clicking on the subject headings.

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Robotics Video Type Topic

360 Video: Zoom Over Zanzibar With Tanzania’s Drone Startups

Come along for the ride as drones soar over the farms and schools of Tanzania

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Photo: IEEE Spectrum
drones gadgets type:video East Africa drones mapping Tanzania Africa delivery drones 360 video

With 360-degree video, IEEE Spectrum puts you aboard drones that are flying high above the Tanzanian landscape: You’ll ride along as drones soar above farms, towns, and the blue expanse of Lake Victoria. You’ll also meet the local entrepreneurs who are creating a new industry, finding applications for their drones in land surveying and delivery. And you’ll get a close-up view from a bamboo grove as a drone pilot named Bornlove builds a flying machine from bamboo and other materials.

You can follow the action in a 360-degree video in three ways: 1) Watch on your computer, using your mouse to click and drag on the video; 2) watch on your phone, moving the phone around to change your view; or 3) watch on a VR headset for the full immersive experience.

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Robotics Topic Type Video

360 Video: Go on a Mission With Zipline’s Delivery Drones

Immerse yourself in the action as Zipline catapults its drones into the Rwandan sky

IEEE Spectrum
drones type:video East Africa drones Rwanda delivery drones Zipline 360 video

With 360 video, IEEE Spectrum takes you behind the scenes with one of the world’s first drone-delivery companies. Zipline, based in California, is using drones to deliver blood to hospitals throughout Rwanda. At an operations center in Muhanga, you’ll watch as Zipline technicians assemble the modular drones, fill their cargo holds, and launch them via catapult. You’ll see a package float down from the sky above a rural hospital, and you’ll get a closeup look at Zipline’s ingenious method for capturing returning drones.

You can follow the action in a 360-degree video in three ways: 1) Watch on your computer, using your mouse to click and drag on the video; 2) watch on your phone, moving the phone around to change your view; or 3) watch on a VR headset for the full immersive experience.

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DIY Topic Type Video

A Techie’s Tour of New York City

Here are some NYC attractions that you won’t find in the guidebooks

A Techie's Tour Of NYC
www.youtube.com
type:video New York City DIY tourism videos rockets Nikola Tesla history technology events hackerspace new york city nikola tesla nyc tourist video nyc tourist guide tech tour nyc video nyc tech tour

Do your travel plans include New York City? Are you a techie? If the answer to those questions is yes, let IEEE Spectrum be your guide! We've put together a list of some of our favorite places to visit, including important locations in the history of electrotechnology (New York was once the center of the electrical and electronic world) and places where fun and interesting things are happening today. See where Nikola Tesla lived, check out cutting-edge artists working with technology, or take the kids to see an Atlas and Titan rocket.

All the locations are accessible via the subway, and many are free to visit. If you do visit, take a selfie and post a link in the comments below.

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